Carissa's Wierd is an indie rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington, … Read Full Bio ↴Carissa's Wierd is an indie rock band which formed in Seattle, Washington, United States in 1995.

Mat Brooke and Jenn Champion formed Carissa's Wierd out of Seattle in 1995, and released three albums before their 2003 breakup. Their plaintive, melancholy, beautiful music won over many who were exposed to it. The band's lineup changed throughout the band's existence. Mainstays in the band included violinist Sarah Standard, drummer (and later bassist) Ben Bridwell, drummer Sera Cahoone, drummer Creighton Barrett, and keyboard/accordian player Jeff Hellis. Their final album, Songs About Leaving, was a modest success in the Northwest, topping many critics charts and leaving fans hungry for more. Sadly, the band decided to go their separate ways in September of 2003. Jenn is now performing under the name S and Brooke and Bridwell went on to create Band of Horses. Brooke has since moved on to become part of Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone has launched her solo career. As of April 2007, both Grand Archives and Sera Cahoone have been signed to Sub Pop Records. In March 2010, Hardly Art announced that it would release a compilation of Carissa's Wierd material, with songs picked by Brooke and Champion, followed by reissues of the group's first three full-length records. The band played a reunion show on July 9, 2010 to support the compilation.

On August 2, 2011, Hardly Art announced pre-orders for a new 7", called 'Tucson,' and would include two new songs, the band's first recordings in over seven years featuring the original lineup. The 7" would include the songs 'Tucson' and 'Meredith & Iris,' and on August 4, 2011, Meredith & Iris was put up for stream on soundcloud. It was also announced that the band would be playing another reunion show in Seattle on September 24, 2011.

Isolation
Carissa's Wierd Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

I fear every day, every evening.
He calls her aloud from above.
Carefully watch for a reason,
Painstaking devotion of love.
Surrendered to self-preservation
From others who care for themselves.
A blindness that touches perfection,
But faces like anything else.

Isolation, isolation, isolation.

Mother, i tried, please believe me.
I′m doing the best that i can.
I'm ashamed of the things i′ve been put through.
I'm ashamed of the person i am.
Isolation, isolation, isolation.

But if you could just see the beauty,
These things i could never describe.
This is my one consolation.

This is my one fucking prize.
Isolation, isolation, isolation, isolation, isolation.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Carissa's Wierd's song Isolation express a sense of fear and loneliness that pervades throughout. The opening lines "I fear every day, every evening" create an immediate atmosphere of trepidation, with the singer feeling trapped and isolated. The next lines appear to reference someone calling out to the singer from above, perhaps highlighting a spiritual or emotional distance between the two parties. There is a sense of pain and sacrifice, with the singer "carefully watch[ing] for a reason" and dedicating themselves to their own love in a way that appears to have resulted in self-surrender. This, however, is not reciprocated by those around them, who are blinded by their own self-interest and leave the singer feeling alone and abandoned.

The following lines change focus, with the singer addressing their mother and asking for her understanding. They express shame at the sufferings they've experienced and the person they've become. In this sense, the song can be seen as a deeply personal reflection on isolation, loss, and trauma. Yet, there is also a glimmer of hope in the verses that follow. The singer attempts to communicate the beauty of life and experiences that they cannot describe, offering assurance that there is some consolation in the midst of pain. The song's final lines repeat "Isolation" several times, solidifying the theme of loneliness and distance throughout.

Line by Line Meaning

I fear every day, every evening.
Every day and every night is filled with fear and uncertainty.

He calls her aloud from above.
Someone is calling out to her from a higher power or position.

Carefully watch for a reason,
Constantly searching for a purpose or explanation behind everything.

Painstaking devotion of love.
Showing a great amount of effort and dedication in the name of love.

Surrendered to self-preservation
Giving up on the idea of relying on others and focusing solely on oneself.

From others who care for themselves.
Feeling abandoned or let down by people who only care about themselves.

A blindness that touches perfection,
Being so fixated on achieving perfection that it becomes a blind spot.

But faces like anything else.
Despite this flaw, everyone has their own unique struggles and hardships.

Isolation, isolation, isolation.
The repetition emphasizes the overwhelming sense of loneliness and separation from others.

Mother, i tried, please believe me.
A plea to a parental figure to believe that their best efforts have been made.

I′m doing the best that i can.
Despite the struggles, the individual is pushing themselves to do the best they can.

I'm ashamed of the things i′ve been put through.
There is guilt and shame over the circumstances and experiences they've faced.

I'm ashamed of the person i am.
This shame extends to how they perceive themselves as a person.

But if you could just see the beauty,
If only others could see the beauty and goodness within them.

These things i could never describe.
Words cannot fully capture the depth of their positive qualities.

This is my one consolation.
Finding comfort in the fact that they possess this positive quality.

This is my one fucking prize.
This aspect of themselves is their greatest achievement or prize.

Isolation, isolation, isolation, isolation, isolation.
Repeating the theme of isolation emphasizes its pervasive and all-consuming nature in the individual's life.

Writer(s): Bernard Sumner, Ian Kevin Curtis, Stephen Paul David Morris, Peter Hook

Contributed by Austin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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